U.S. pig farmers will receive relief

President Trump provides producers with aid during the global trade war

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) welcomes government support for American farmers amidst international trade wars.

In total, the Trump administration will provide producers with $12 billion in aid.

“President Trump has said he has the back of U.S. farmers and today demonstrated this commitment with an aid package to sustain American agriculture cut off from critical export markets as his administration works to realign U.S. global trade policy,” Jim Heimerl, NPPC president and pork producer, said in an organization release last week.

American pork producers exported over 26 percent of their total production last year, worth nearly $6.5 billion, the release said. Indeed, 2017 exports increased the average price that hog farmers received for each animal by $53.47.

“Because U.S. pork is highly dependent on exports, our long-term priority on trade remains the same: the restoration of trade under previous or enhanced terms with Mexico and China,” David Warner, director of communications at NPPC, said to Farms.com today in an email statement.

The organization is also working on expanding “export opportunities through the renegotiation of new free trade agreements, starting with Japan.”

The relief package is meant to temporarily support farmers while the U.S. and China conduct trade negotiations, a Reuters article said last week. The USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation will be financing the aid.

“The logistics and terms of the aid package are still being worked out, and NPPC stands ready to provide USDA with any support as it works out these details,” Warner said to Farms.com.

However, it is too early to know the mechanics of the relief package for pork producers, he added.

Over the next two years, the U.S. pork industry also looks to expand production by 8 percent.

“While we recognize the complexities of resetting U.S. trade policy, we hope that American pork will soon regain the chance to compete on a level playing field in markets around the globe,” Heimerl said in the release.

“We have established valuable international trading relationships that have helped offset the U.S. trade deficit and fueled America’s rural economy.”